Tube-cleaner



Patented Feb. 1, 1921;

3 SHEETS-SHEET1 3 i. 3 V mm 2 o o a /z/wwv g v H W Z M \Jr a m l mm mm M F mm M Mwm W W 5 s.

INVENTOR.

Af FAO l/SJARD WITNESS A. F. FROUSSARD.

TUBE CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 11. [9]? 1,367,314, Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESS [NI LN! UH.

A. F. FROUSSARD.

TUBE CLEANER APPLICATION FILED OCT. 11. 19H 1,367,314. Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

v 7 Fig.9.

W W4 A AFJROUSS/JRD UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT F. FROUSSARD, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TUBE-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

Application filed October 11, 1917. Serial No. 196,016.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, ALBERT F. Fecesthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to tube cleaners, and, more particularly to cleaners in which a plurality of tools for cleaning a plurality of separate tubes at one and the same time are provided.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one form of tube cleaning device made in accordance with my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2 is'a top plan View of the tracks for carrying the tube cleaning device? Figs. 8, sand are sections taken on the lines 3--3, 1-4 and 5-5 respectively of Fig. 6; Fig. 6 is partly a side elevation and partly a section taken on theline 6-6 of Fig. 8; Figs. 7 and 8 are sections taken on the lines 7 -7 and 88 respectively of Fig. 1 ;;Fig. 9 is an enlarged longitudinal section through a portion of one of the tubes of the cleaning tool con tained therein; Figs. 10, 11 and 12 are sections taken on the lines 10-10, 11-11ai1d 12-12 respectively ofFig. 9; and'Fig. 13

is an enlarged View of some of the parts shown in Fig. 6.

Lilre marks of referencerefer to similar parts lIl the several vlews of the drawings. 15 represents a boiler condenser, the tubes 16 of which are to becle'aned. Arranged above the boiler orfcondenser 15 andeX- tending transversely with relation to the tubes 16 therein is a track, preferably consisting of a pair of tubular members 17, as shown in Fig. 2. Running on this track 17 are wheels 18. These wheels 18 carry a track 19 which extends in the direction of the length of the tubes 16 and has mounted upon it a track 20 from which the cleaning device is suspended by means of a pulley 21. The pulley 21 is provided with a rope 22 by means of which the cleaning device may be raised and lowered. The lower portion of the pulley 21 is secured to the top member 23 of the frame of the clean ing device. This top member 23 is attached to uprights 24,25 and 26 respe'ctivel Y which, n turn, are carried by a base 27. xtend mg between the uprights 24 and 25 is a bolt or rod28 secured in position by. means of a nut 29. Mounted upon this bolt 01" rod 28 is an inner or non-rotary member 30 of the gearing for driving the tools. This member 30 is prevented from rotation by means of a pair of bolts 31 extending through the upright 24, as shown in Fig. 6. Mounted in the member 30 are thimbles32 which are preferabl six innumber, as best shown in Fig.7. ecured in each of these thnnbles 321s a tool-carrying shaft 33 which is adapted tohold a cleaning tool as will nalmovement between the members 30j and 38,1 secure to the ends ofthemember 3'8 annular members 39 and 40 respectively. The member 39 bears uponthe rearwardly projecting flange 41 on the member 30, while the member 40 bears against the thrust col lar"42'surrounding the outer ends of the thiinbles 32. The rotary member 38 has formed in itsperiphery external teeth 43 which are adapted to engage with the pin ion 44 secured to a shaft 45 mountedin uprights- 24and 25. This shafteb has secured to'its end a gear wheeld'i' meshing withthe-gear wheel 48 carried on the shaft of a motor 49'; which ispreferably of the eIe'Ctric'type; as shown Fig: 1" ofthe 'draw' in -s;

The shafts 33 are adapted to project into the tubes 16 to be cleaned and each is pro- 'vided on its end with a cleaning tool, as

shown in detail in Figs. 9 to 12. Each of these cleaning tools consists of a body portion 50 having a cutting front end 51 in the form of an enlarged head. This enlarged head 51 is provided with bearings 52 preferably three in number. These bearings 52 receive the forward trunnions of the cutting rolls 54. These cutting rolls, as best shown in Fig. 9, are each composed of a number of parts of diiferent diameter,

the smallest portion being at the forward end of the roll and the largest at the rear end. A projectingshaft 55 forms a rearward extension to the body portion 50 and is adapted to receive a sleeve 56 having a triangular portion 57 in which are formed bearings 58 adapted to receive the rear trunnions of the rolls 54;. The projection 55 extends beyond the sleeve 56 and is adapted to enter anopening in the shaft 33. A passage is formed through both the extension 55 and the shaft 33 and in this opening is placed a wedge-shapedmember 60 which is held in position by a detent 61 arranged in a longitudinal opening 62 and provided with a spring 63 for holding it in engagement with the wedge 60. It Will be evident that by this construction, the tool, as a whole, is longitudinally secured to the shaft 33 against the possibility of. accidental displacement and, at the same time, the rolls 54 are securely held in the tool. By removing the wedge 60, the tool may be readily removed from the shaft and the cutting rolls 54 from the tool.

In order to carry away the scale loosened from the tubes l6by the tools, it is desirable to supply to the tubes either a supply of steam or water. In order to accomplish this, I provide a circular distributer 65 which has formed in it a number of holes 66 corresponding in number and position to the shafts 33 of the boring wheels. The

inner face of the distributer 65 is provided with annular recesses 73 adapted to receive the ends of the tubes to be cleaned. The

distributer 65 is preferably suspended from the track 19 by meansof a truck 67 and means of a pipe69, as best shown in Fig.

6. In case steam is used, a handle 70 of non-heat conducting material is preferably applied to the pipe 69 to enable handling the distributer 65, and, 'in case of small machines, this distributer may be handled entirely by the supply pipe so that the tr ck 67 and pulley 68 may be omitted. The

steam or other fluid from the interior chamber 71 of the distributer 65 is admitted to the pipes by small openings 72, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The operation of my device will be evident from the above description. The parts being arranged in the position shown in Fig. 1, the motor 49 is started and its motion communicated through the gears -18, 47, the shaft 45 and gear 44 to the outer or rotary member 38. The rotation of this member 38 through the internal gear 37 will rotate the pinions 36 and thus rotate the shaft 33 carrying the cleaning tools. As the operation of cleaning proceeds, the entire device is fed longitudinally of the tubes 16 by means of the truck 20 running on the longitudinal track 19. After one set of tubes has been cleaned, the device is either moved laterally of the tracks 17, or

vertically by means of the pulleys 22 and 68 so that a new set of tubes may be operated upon. The form of cleaning tool used is such as to effectively clean the tube 16. The larger portion of the rolls 51 just fits within the interior of the cleaned tube 16, as shown in Fig. 12, while the front portion of the rolls is sufiiciently reduced to allow the same to enter within the incrustation. In case, however, the incrustation is more than ordinarily deep, it is removed by means of the front cutting end 51 of the tool. It will be seen that the tool is readily connected and disconnected to the shaft 33 and, at the same time. the rolls themselves are readily removed from the tool.

I'Iaving fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In a tube cleaning device. the combination with a motor, of a plurality of tool shafts rotated by said motor. means for feeding said shafts into the tubes to be cleaned, and a fluid distributing device through which said shafts pass, said distributing device consisting of two parts sccured together forming an internal water chamber, said device having recesses in one face thereof adapted to receive the ends of the tubes to be cleaned, and water passageways connecting said water chamber and recesses.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and afiixed my seal.

ALBERT F. FROUSSARD. 

